Undocumented immigrants detained by ICE at SF courthouse
Undocumented immigrants detained by ICE in SF
At least four undocumented immigrants were arrested and detained by ICE today at the San Francisco Immigration Courthouse while appearing in court for regularly scheduled hearings.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - At least four undocumented immigrants were arrested and detained by ICE on Tuesday at the San Francisco Immigration Courthouse while appearing in court for regular hearings.
Unmarked white van
What we know:
KTVU witnessed an unmarked white van come to the side entrance of the building at 100 Montgomery St. while what appeared to be plain-clothes immigration officers arrested a man and put him in the van.
The van was being driven by a man in a Department of Homeland Security uniform.
Milli Atkinson, Director of Immigrant Legal Defense at the Justice and Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco, said four people were taken away in the same fashion.
Atkinson is one of the attorneys who represents people before the immigration court.
She said the individuals are appearing in court for an application for asylum, where a judge is meant to hear their case. She said the people on the docket did not have a serious criminal history and were from dangerous countries.
Atkinson said ICE officers were in the courtroom requesting the case be dismissed before taking them into custody.
‘Following the law’
"These are ICE officers coming to the court to arrest and detain individuals following the law, trying to proceed with their asylum application," she said.
Atkinson called this action by DHS "unprecedented."
"We've never seen anything like this before and it's really scary for people, to know that they came here fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries from authoritarian governments," she said.
DHS said in a statement that anyone who entered the country illegally within the past two years is subject for expedited removal.
"Secretary Noem is reversing Biden’s catch and release policy that allowed millions of unvetted illegal aliens to be let loose on American streets. This administration is once again implementing the rule of law," a spokesperson wrote.
"The government is trying to create new rules and a new process for removing people without giving them the opportunity to go before a judge," said Atkinson.
She said ICE is treating the immigrants going through the proper process as they would the individuals at the border.
Best chance for asylum
Atkinson told KTVU many people did not show up for their hearings on Tuesday following the news of arrests, but maintains that undocumented immigrants should still appear for hearings. She said it gives them the best chance to get granted asylum.
"They put themselves at greater risk for deportation because if you don't attend your hearing, you're basically abandoning your claim for asylum," she said.
What we don't know:
DHS did not release any information about where the detainees will be held, but KTVU has learned they could be taken to a detention center in Central California.
KTVU reached out to the mayor’s office and is awaiting comment, but Atkinson said there’s not much the city can do because ICE is a federal law enforcement agency.
‘Illegal and unconstitutional’
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu criticized the Trump administration's actions and said San Francisco has never seen anything like this.
"What the Trump administration is doing is they're telling their lawyers to go into court, dismiss these cases, so that the case is no longer the jurisdiction of an immigration judge, and when these individuals walk out of the courtroom, they're looking to detain them. It is sneaky and underhanded at best, very likely illegal and unconstitutional."
Featured
Rep. Yassamin Ansari plans trip to El Salvador to demand return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia
The Supreme Court has ruled that Kilmar Abrego Garcia should be returned to the United States after he was deported to a prison in El Salvador and one Arizona Representative is working to make sure that happens.